Delta is still employing a mayor and six councillors and that’s not likely to change - but should it?
According to former mayor Doug Husband, that’s exactly what should happen. In a recent interview about city elections, Husband raised the point that Delta is the largest city in B.C. to have a seven-member council.
“I think it’s time for Delta to have eight (councillors),” he said.
Husband suggested the benefits, among other things, would include better, more even, representation from North Delta and South Delta.
Previous reports from city staff have noted that it's normal practice for municipalities with populations over 50,000 to have eight councillors. Some cities with smaller populations than Delta, such as Kamloops (90,200) and Nanaimo (90,500), have eight.
It’s an issue that’s been raised before over the years.
In 1972, for example, the city put forward a proposal to the electorate in a referendum, asking voters if they wanted to increase the number of councillors from six to eight.
At the time, then alderman Lorne Carmichael said when a municipality reaches a population of 50,000 it is entitled to eight aldermen. Carmichael said, "Council has a tremendous workload and we could use some help on council."
Delta's population in that period was just over 45,000, but it was the fastest growing municipality in Canada. Then mayor Dugald Morrison wasn't keen on increasing the number of politicians, saying he felt "no alderman is overworked for the amount of money he gets."
That referendum was soundly defeated.
A 1979 bylaw reaffirmed that any increase must go to community consultation and the electorate.
